Chapter Thirty-Six: Light in the Darkness
Snape lead the way down the stairs with Cassie following close behind him, leaning rather heavily on her walking stick. Ron and Hermione went next, the cage held firmly in Ron's hands. Remus, Alexis, Sirius, and Harry brought up the rear. The strange group edged awkwardly through the tunnel in single file. Alexis was between his parents and Harry went after Sirius.
"Are you all right?" Alexis asked, watching his father's retreating back with concern. Remus looked over his shoulder at Alexis, smiling kindly. He looked happier than Alexis had seen him in ages. "I'm fine," he reassured his son. "I'm sorry," Alexis said softly, meaningfully.
I'm sorry you got exposed. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to protect you. You're not a monster in my eyes. I love you. Thankfully, Remus smiled understandingly.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Remus assured him. Alexis longed to reach out to him, to embrace him but didn't dare with so many people around. Alexis felt thin, trembling fingers brush his scrapped hand. "You're not hurt badly are you?" Sirius asked when Alexis looked over his shoulder. His concerned grey eyes traveled over his son's various cuts and bruises.
Alexis started to say he'd had worse but stopped. His dad didn't need to hear that, not after what he had been through. "I'm all right," Alexis reassured him. Sirius kept hold of his son's hand, letting the teenager lead him through the tunnel. "You know what this means?" Sirius said to Harry as they inched along to tunnel.
"Turning Pettigrew in?" "You're free," Alexis heard Harry answer. Sirius paused then, gripping his son's hand compulsively. Just because Alexis had accepted him didn't mean Harry would. "Well, I don't know if anyone ever told you but—I'm, well, I'm you godfather," he said stiffly.
"Yeah, I knew that," Harry said sheepishly. Sirius took a deep breath, bracing himself for the worst. He was used to it by now. "I'd understand if you wanted to stay with your aunt and uncle," Sirius said hurriedly. "But if you . . . you know, ever wanted . . ." "Oh for Gods' sake," Alexis said in mock weariness though when he glanced back at them he was smiling. "Do you want to come live with us or not?" he asked a stunned looking Harry. His brilliant emerald eyes were the size of saucers when he looked up at his godfather. "Really? Me, live with you?" Harry exclaimed. "Have you got a house?"
Sirius gave Harry a rather sheepish look, "Well, I—er. . ." "Of course we've got a house," Alexis cut him off, waving his free hand dismissively. Harry's face split into a wide grin. Sirius felt his heart clench even as he smiled at his godson. He smiled just like James.
Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks had apparently darted ahead and pressed the knot because when Snape clambered upwards there was no sound of the savage branches. Once out of the tunnel, Snape reached down and tugged Cassie up easily. Ron climbed up next and reached down to help Hermione, his face as red as his hair as he did so, followed by Remus who helped the final three up. The grounds were completely dark; the sky was filled with a sea of stars.
Alexis never realized just how beautiful it was here. Without a word, the motley crew started towards the lights of castle in the distance. Sirius kept his fingers laced with Alexis's as Harry walked on his godfather's other side, beaming with happiness. A cloud shifted. The group bathed in moonlight.
Remus froze abruptly. Snape halted and grabbed Cassie's arm in a vice like grip to stop her as well. Ron and Hermione collided with them. Sirius flung out his arm to keep his son and godson back. Alexis's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no. Remus went rigid and began to shake. No, no, no! "RUN!" Cassie screamed, shoving a terrified Ron and Hermione towards the castle. "He's not safe! RUN!"
But all anyone could do but stand there in the cold moonlight. Frozen in terror. There was a terrible snarling noise. Remus's limbs were lengthening, hair sprouting as his hands curled into paws. It was horrible, painful.
Snape raised his wand but Cassie forced his arm down. "RUN!" Cassie screamed again. The werewolf reared. Ron didn't need telling twice. Dropping Pettigrew's cage, Ron seized Hermione's hand and took off pell-mell towards the castle.
"Accio cage!" Cassie screamed, causing the cage to fly into her out stretched hands. "Harry, Alexis, go now!" she ordered. But Harry and Alexis refused to move. Alexis was not leaving his family. "But what about you--" Harry started but Sirius pushed him roughly towards castle.
"Run! Leave it to me! No, Alexis," Sirius shouted when Alexis opened his mouth to protest. "Go now! Get Peter to the castle!" And with that, Sirius was gone. He had transformed. As the werewolf reared again, snapping its massive jaws, Padfoot bounded forward.
Cassie started forward but Snape grabbed hold of her sleeve and pulled her back. "There's nothing you can do," he said, his eyes wide and terrified. Alexis watched in horror as the dog seized the werewolf about the neck and pulled it backwards. They were locked in battle, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other. Howling and growling, the wolf and the dog took their fight across the grounds.
Soon they were out of the sight. Alexis moved to run after them only to have Cassie grab hold of his wrist. "There's nothing we can do," she panted. "We have to get Pettigrew to the castle--" A whimper of pain rang through the darkness, a yelping.
A dog in pain. Alexis felt his heart sink. Harry set off at a run into the darkness. "Get back here, Potter!" Snape commanded but Harry just kept running. Alexis broke free from Cassie's momentarily slack grip and took off after him.
Cassie turned to face Severus. Their eyes met momentarily and suddenly he understood. "Cassie, no," he said quietly. Yet deep down, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop her. Cassie pressed the cage into her old friend's hands.
"Take him to the castle and get help," she said urgently. "I have to go after them." And without another word, Cassie let her walking stick fall to the ground and tore off into the darkness. She heard, dimly, Severus shout something but didn't stop. He would be all right, she knew, he would get help.
Although her knee was screaming in pain and her chest was on fire, Cassie kept running. She caught up with Harry and Alexis soon after. None of them had yet to notice the familiar chill filling the air around them. "There!" Alexis cried out, pointing wildly ahead. The trio pelted towards the shore of the Black Lake.
Sirius had become a man once more. He crouched on all fours with his hands clasped over his head. "Noo," he moaned. "Nooo. . .please. . .noo. . ." Harry cried out suddenly.
And that was when they saw them. Dementors, at least a hundred of them were gliding an ominous black mass towards the like. They were circling them vultures. Sirius collapsed on and fell motionless to the ground, looking as pale as death. "Think happy thoughts!" Cassie cried, dropping to her knees beside her brother and withdrawing her wand.
The fog was filling Alexis's head and it was getting harder and harder to think straight. Beside him, Harry was looking pale and unsteady on his feet. The voices had started again, louder this time as they had been magnified ten-fold. Yet somehow, through the fog and harsh, hateful voices threatening to pull him under, Alexis heard Cassie's voice. "Expecto Patronum! Don't think about the voices, just say the words! Expecto Patronum!"
Alexis forced himself to think of his father and only his father. He was going to be okay. He was finally going to come home. They were going to be a family again. Harry was swaying unsteadily, looking bloodless and faint.
With a shaking hand, Alexis reached out and seized hold of Harry's hand. The darkness was closing in and they were running out of time. White fog was drowning them. "We can do this!" Together, the three of them raised their wands. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Cassie watched from her vantage point on the ground with mingled pride and sorrow as a silver wolf-dog, the perfect mixture of Padfoot and Moony galloped along side Prongs across the lake while a great silver butterfly soared above them. The three Patronuses circled the black shapes. The Dementors were falling back into the darkness. They were gone. Cassie was dimly aware that Harry and Alexis had collapsed onto the wet sand beside her, white as sheets and perfectly still.
They looked like they were sleeping. The wolf-dog, the stag, and the butterfly returned to the shore. Cassie had forgotten how beautiful they could be. Slowly, they gave their conjurers a polite bow before they vanished. She groped for Sirius's thin hand clasped it tightly in her own.
He was all right. Harry and Alexis were all right. They were all going to be all right. But she was tired and the pain in her knee had started with a vengeance. Cassie wasn't sure when she fell back against the sand which was surprisingly cool.
The stars twinkling above were the last thing she saw.